The present invention relates to adjustable sections of patient supports. In particular, the present invention relates to adjustable-length deck sections of patient supports such as chairs, wheelchairs, and hospital beds.
Particularly in hospital beds that have one or more articulating deck sections, it may be desirable to adjust the length of a deck section for a variety of reasons. The length of a head, back, seat, thigh, or foot section of a patient support may be adjusted to improve patient comfort, reduce the patient's risk of developing pressure ulcers, adapt the patient support to a wide range of different patients, or to facilitate the patient's ingress or egress from the patient support.
A patient support is provided, including a back section, a thigh section coupled to the back section, an adjustment member coupled to the thigh section, the adjustment member being movable to lengthen the thigh section, and a foot section coupled to the adjustment member, the foot section being pivotable into a first position substantially parallel to the thigh section to a second position substantially perpendicular to the thigh section. The adjustment member may be a rod driven by a linear force generator. The linear force generator may be a hydraulic cylinder or a linear actuator.
The patient support may further include a pair of slides positioned adjacent to the linear force generator. Each slide may be located on either side of the linear force generator. The slides may be coupled to the foot section. The adjustment member may be further movable to shorten the thigh section.
The patient support may further include a thigh section length adjustment activator, and the adjustment member may be movable in response to activation of the thigh section length adjustment activator. The thigh section length adjustment activator may be one of a plurality of activators located on a control panel electrically coupled to the patient support.
A deck length adjuster for a patient support is also provided, including a support member at least a portion of which is shaped to be coupled to a deck section of the patient support, a linear force generator coupled to the support member, a pair of tubes, each tube being located adjacent to the linear force generator, and a pair of slides, each slide being sized to fit within an interior region of one of the tubes, and the linear force generator being operable to cause the slides to extend out of and retract into the tubes.
The deck length adjuster may include tubes that may be located on opposite sides of the linear force generator. The linear force generator may include a slidable rod. The slidable rod may have a distal end shaped to be pivotably coupled to a second deck section. Each slide may have a distal end shaped to be coupled to the second deck section. The second deck section may be pivotable to a position substantially perpendicular to the first deck section. The linear force generator may be electrically coupled to a controller. The linear force generator may cause the slides to extend out of the tubes to lengthen the deck section in response to a first signal from the controller. The linear force generator may cause the slides to retract into the tubes to shorten the deck section in response to a second signal from the controller. The controller may be electrically coupled to an input device and the first and second signals are generated in response to input received by the input device.
An adjustable-length deck section for a patient support is also provided, including a housing defining an interior region of a deck section, a length adjuster located substantially within the interior region of the housing, the length adjuster including a linear force generator, and first and second slides located on either side of the linear force generator, the linear force generator being operable to move the slides into and out of the interior region of the housing to adjust a length of the deck section. Movement of the slides out of the interior region may lengthen the deck section and movement of the slides into the interior region may shorten the deck section. The length adjuster may further include a pair of cylinders located within the interior region, and each cylinder may be sized and positioned to receive a slide as the slide retracts to shorten the deck section.
The deck section may be a thigh section and the length adjuster may be operable to adjust a popliteal length of the patient support.
A method for adjusting the popliteal length of a patient support is also provided, including the steps of receiving from a patient support a signal indicating a need to adjust the popliteal length of the patient support, determining an amount by which the popliteal length is to be adjusted, and sending to the patient support a signal including an instruction to adjust the popliteal length by the determined amount. The instruction indicating a need to adjust the popliteal length may be received from an input device of the patient support. The instruction to adjust the popliteal length may be sent to a length adjuster coupled to a thigh section of the patient support.
The determining step may further include determining whether the popliteal length is to be lengthened or shortened based on at least one of a patient's age, size, body type, body shape, gender, ethnicity, weight, height, a position of the thigh section, a position of a foot section of the patient support relative to the thigh section, a position of a back section of the patient support relative to the thigh section and a position of the seat section relative to the floor.
A system for adjusting the popliteal length of a patient support is also provided, including a patient support including a popliteal length adjuster, a controller electrically coupled to the patient support, and a memory including programming logic that when executed by the controller causes the popliteal length adjuster to adjust the popliteal length of the patient support.
The programming logic when executed causes the popliteal length adjuster to increase the popliteal length of the patient support in response to an indication that the popliteal length of a patient positioned on the patient support is longer than the popliteal length of the patient support, and causes the popliteal length adjuster to decrease the popliteal length of the patient support in response to an indication that the popliteal length of a patient positioned on the patient support is shorter than the popliteal length of the patient support. The popliteal length may be adjusted based on at least one of a patient's age, size, body type, body shape, gender, ethnicity, weight, and height.
The patient support may further include a back section, a thigh section, a seat section, and a foot section, and the popliteal length may be adjusted based on at least one of a position of the thigh section, a position of the foot section relative to the thigh section, a position of the back section relative to the thigh section and a position of the seat section relative to the floor. The patient support may further include at least two siderails and the popliteal length is adjusted based on a position of the siderails. The system may further include an input device, wherein the popliteal length is adjusted based on input received by the input device.